Executive Board of Governors yet to see light of the day
Karachi: When Nadera Ahmed's husband, renowned demographer Dr Feroz Ahmed, died suddenly
in 1997, she came to a decision: she would spend all the insurance money she
received on an educational institute in Pakistan, although at the time, Ahmed
had no idea what an uphill task this would eventually prove to be.

"The
University of Karachi (KU) was our alma mater, so I decided to donate money
there," she recalled. "Dr Zafar Zaidi, the then Vice-Chancellor at KU, hinted
that an institute of mass communication was needed to fulfill the needs of the
fast-moving trends in the mass media. I agreed whole heartedly."

In
memory of her husband, in 2000 Ahmed prepared a PC-1 for Rs10 million for the Dr
Feroz Ahmed Institute of Mass Communication at KU.

"The building
structure was ready within six months," she said. "Dr Zaidi was very helpful and
promised more funds for the furniture and equipment."

However, after Dr
Zaidi's death, proceedings ground to a halt, marking the beginning of Ahmed's
battle with university officials.

"They were not prepared to help me. It
seemed that the proposed institute was my responsibility alone," said Ahmed.

At the time, more money was needed for the finishing and equipment.
Ahmed and Dr Aqeela Aslam (currently Registrar of Jinnah University for Women)
prepared another PC-1, this time for Rs23.6 million, but by then, the Higher
Education Commission (HEC) had replaced University Grants Commission, and its
chief, Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, told Ahmed to resubmit the PC-1 for Rs10 million after
the building became functional. The KU Syndicate then approved the formation of
the institute at a meeting on February 22, 2000.

But teachers at the
Department of Mass Communication opposed the move when it became known that
Ahmed intended to appoint a full-time director to take charge of the institute
in place of a chairperson, and that renowned journalist Aslam Azhar had accepted
the post. The opposition of the teachers was so strong that it is on record they
staged a protest outside the conference room where the syndicate meeting was in
place.

"I assured the teachers – many times - that the institute would
not harm their interest, and that even they could apply and become directors,
but to no avail," said Ahmed.

Ahmed added that the teachers pressured
her to keep the original post of chairperson intact, and that she had no option
but to agree. Later, a five-member committee including Dr Sohail Ahmed Barkati
and Barrister Shahida Jamil was formed to decide whether or not the institute
would be kept. It was decided that the institute should not come into being as
it involved both teaching and research.

After years of seeing the fruits
of her labour unfulfilled, Ahmed has just one question: Why does the department
of mass communication continue to deny the formation of the Executive Board of
Governors that had been agreed upon in the KU Syndicate?

Karachi university student shot dead
Karachi: A 24-year-old man, student of the Masters of Business
Administration programme at Karachi University, was shot dead on Thursday near
his house in Block 10 of Federal B Area, witnesses and police said.

They
said the victim, Ahad Ahsan Fareedi, son of Syed Kamal Fareedi, a resident of
house D-270, was walking home when at around 5.30pm a motorcyclist intercepted
him in front of a nearby house.

The witnesses said that the motorcyclist
talked to the victim for a little while before he opened fire, killing the
university student instantly.

They said the attacker rode away after the
shooting, leaving behind the victim in a pool of blood.

The body was
later shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Sources at the hospital's medico-legal section said that the victim was hit
by three bullets in his upper torso.

They said the young man was shot
from a very close range as all bullets pierced the body.

The police said
no case was registered till late in the night as the medico-legal formalities
were still being completed.

They said that the incident appeared to be
motivated by a personal enmity. The news